Emmerdale's Zoe Henry says she doesn't want Rhona to be a Dingle

Emmerdale star Zoe Henry has admitted that she would rather not see her character Rhona Goskirk take the Dingle name.

Rhona is currently helping fiancée Marlon during his recovery following a recent stroke, with her partner returning home from the hospital this week – though he faces a long road ahead.

Despite the pair planning to marry in the future, Zoe has confessed that she doesn't want to have Rhona adopt the surname, particularly as her real-life husband Jeff Hordley plays a Dingle (Cain to be precise).

emmerdale stars jeff hordley and zoe henry

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"I've had this conversation," the actress revealed. "I'm absolutely fuming, I don't want Rhona to become a Dingle.

"I don't know if it's because Jeff's a Dingle in the show and I'm a bit like, 'No, that's too close. I don't want to have the same surname as his character in the show.'"

Zoe went on to say: "But also, if we do get married, I have no idea how it's going to pan out and whether she takes his name.

"When she married Paddy, she never took the name Kirk because of Leo. So she kept Goskirk as she's given that surname to her son Leo. And obviously Mary's had the same surname.

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"I think in a way I'd quite like to see her retain that name, because would they change Leo to a Dingle?

"Well that would be great for Marlon, but daddy Paddy's still on the scene, and very much involved in parenting Leo. So I don't know. It's quite a tricky situation.

"I think I'd like to see her remain a Goskirk personally," she added, "and then I don't have to drink out of a welly hopefully!"

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Joking about the infamous welly Dingle family tradition, Zoe admitted: "It's the most repulsive thought, to be honest with you, I've put that to the back of my mind.

"I'm hoping there's some kind of magic trickery how the props department can arrange if I do have to do it. But I don't want to think about it actually."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.